Innis & Gunn goes Irish in stout move

Scottish brewer Innis & Gunn has made its first foray into stout beer and Irish whiskey barrel-maturation with its latest beer, Irish Whiskey Cask.

Last month the craft brewer filled 400 ex-Irish whiskey oak barrels with stout in readyness for the brew's January/Febraury release.

Irish Whiskey Cask, which is limited edition, will be sold in 33cl bottles in the UK, Sweden, Ireland, while in the US and Canada the beer will be available in bottles and casks.

The brand has not disclosed the name of the whiskey company from which it bought the barrels but has said the source was “a famous Irish distiller”.

Innis & Gunn managing director Dougal Sharp said: “We have never brewed a stout before, but when we learned that we could get hold of these Irish barrels we got very excited at the prospect of maturing a Scottish stout in former Irish whiskey barrels.

“Of course Ireland is more famous for making stout, and Scotland more famous for making whisky, so we were fascinated to see how this beer might turn out.